Don’t let the brevity of the message fool you. Hillary has a long history of support for the LGBT community. As New York Senator, she marched in parades.

As Secretary of State she heard the requests of LGBT Foreign Service members to extend domestic benefits to partners, promised to investigate the feasibility, found it doable, and within six months of setting foot at Foggy Bottom established those benefits.

Benefits for Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Foreign Service Employees

Press Statement

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

June 18, 2009

While a career in the Foreign Service is rewarding, the demands to serve our country require great commitment and sacrifice by Foreign Service employees and their families. As in American society, our Foreign Service families come in different configurations; all are part of the common fabric of our Post communities abroad. Family members often uproot their lives, endure hardship conditions, and put their own careers on hold to support our overseas missions. The Department of State acknowledges these vital contributions by providing certain family members with benefits, training, and allowances.
The same has not been true for domestic partners of Foreign Service employees.

By definition and job description, Foreign Service officials work in other countries some of which have been hostile to LGBT rights, so, as Secretary of State, Hillary brought the campaign for human rights of LGBT people into the international arena.

Remarks at an Event Co-Hosted by the Department of State and Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) in celebration of LGBT Pride Month

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Dean Acheson Auditorium

Washington, DC

June 27, 2011

… in March, the United States led a major effort at the Human Rights Council in Geneva to get other countries to sign on in support of a statement on ending violence and criminalization based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In the end, 85 countries signed the statement, 18 more than ever had signed onto any previous UN statement on LGBT rights.And in the very next session of the Human Rights Council, just two weeks ago after another major push by American diplomats in Geneva as well as our teams from IO, DRL, EUR, WHA, and other bureaus, the Council passed the first ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of LGBT people worldwide. And it was especially meaningful that we had South Africa cosponsoring that resolution with us. And with that we took a huge step forward in our work to refute the hateful suggestion that LGBT people are somehow exempt from human rights protections, and we made it absolutely clear that, so far as the United States is concerned and our foreign policy, and our values – that gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.

Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Palais des Nations

Geneva, Switzerland

December 6, 2011

… Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.

SNIP

I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before, opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together.

Video Remarks for LGBT Pride Award

Press Statement

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

July 6, 2012

A big hello to all of you there in London. I am sorry I can’t be there in person to join the festivities and to say “thank you” for this special award.I want to acknowledge all the people who are working hard to advance human rights in their own communities around the world—people whose names may not be well-known but who are making a difference every day.

They deserve our gratitude and our deep respect.
As I announced in Geneva last December, we’ve launched a Global Equality Fund—a fund that other governments, companies, and foundations can contribute to—that will provide support for civil society groups around the world that are working to protect the human rights of LGBT people.

7 Responses

The thing I love most about this campaign is the healing of the pain of 07 and 08. The AA, Hispanic, Gay Pride, labor and the dem base itself will be together on this one. All of us will be on the same page. The parts in unity.

Nice.

I am disappointed it will be NY but kind of expected it to be since her calendar shows she will be there the day before on the 12th. It is a very long way for me to travel. I have to think about it. I know we all want to be there.

It will be live streamed and TV – full coverage for the frontrunner by miles.

Subscribe

ABOUT THIS BLOG

This private blog is about Hillary Clinton's work. It is intended to support, promote, and appreciate Hillary Clinton's efforts and initiatives, all of them – past, current, and future. Onward together! “Resist, insist, persist, enlist.” - Hillary Rodham Clinton

Search this blog

Search for:

The Office of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Welcome to the Office of
Hillary Rodham Clinton
*Read about Hillary's life
*See Hillary's current projects
*Learn about Hillary's vision for America
*Send Hillary a note

Onward Together

“Resist, insist, persist, enlist.” Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Clinton on Facebook

Hillary Clinton on Facebook

@HillaryClinton on Twitter

Follow Hillary on Twitter!

What Happened

Hillary Clinton's 2016 election memoir

Too Small to Fail

“One of the best investments we can make is to give our kids the ingredients they need to develop in the first five years of life.” — Hillary Rodham Clinton

The Clinton Foundation on Facebook

Like the Clinton Foundation on Facebook!

Flint Child Health & Development Fund

"If you can, please chip in to support the Flint Child Health & Development Fund, which is working to provide health care and educational support to families in Flint affected by this crisis." - Hillary Clinton

Thank you for everything, Mme. Secretary!!!!

Thank you for all of your dedicated service and brilliant leadership!

Hillary Clinton’s Cover Letter to Congress on the ARB Report

Hillary because…

She would NEVER have allowed social safety nets to be "on the table."

Unclassified Accountability Review Board (ARB) Report

Read the unclassified ARB Report on Benghazi here.

@U.S. Senate: Time to ratify LOST!

"... ratify the Law of the Sea Convention, which has provided the international framework for exploring these new opportunities in the Arctic. We abide by the international law that undergirds the convention, but we think the United States should be a member, because the convention sets down the rules of the road that protect freedom of navigation, provide maritime security, serve the interests of every nation that relies on sea lanes for commerce and trade, and also sets the framework for exploration for the natural resources that may be present in the Arctic." -HRC, 06-03-12, Tromso Norway

"I deeply resent those who attack our country, the generosity of our people and the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous conditions after the earthquake." - HRC 01-26-10

Good Advice!

“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard.” HRC

Hillary! Leadership we need!

Politics & Foreign Policy

"What I have always found is that when it comes to foreign policy, it is important to remember that politics stops at the water's edge." -HRC 11-04-10

What a difference one woman can make!

"...whether it’s here, in the absolute best embassy in the world, or whether it’s in Washington, or whether it’s elsewhere, what a difference one woman can make. And that woman is right here, the woman who needs no introduction, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton." 07.05.10 - Unidentified speaker, Embassy Yerevan

Most Respected

"So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you your Secretary of State, and perhaps the most respected person on the world stage today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." - Jon Huntsman 05-23-2010

Hillary Clinton Express Facebook Group

Your one stop spot for Hillary Clinton News!

Supporters of “The People’s President,” Hillary Rodham Clinton

Together 4 us! Facebook Page

Uppity Woman

The place to go if you feel like you're the only woman who wants to punch her own TV set.

Jenny’s Jumbo Jargon

Elephant Watch

Favorite Quote

“When people attack you, you always have to remember that a lot of what others say about you has a lot more to do about them than you.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton